teristics of the fruit of this species. Subsequently, the 
late Professor Richard EK. D. Baker of this institution 
informed me by letter (March 12, 1953) that the tree was 
in flower, stating: ‘‘The buds are spherical, the pedicels 
very short, 2-8 mm. only; the calyx splits into three and 
does not open much; the staminodes are thick and fleshy, 
and the ligules are very short, only about 1 cm. long; the 
staminodes are dark, and the ligules pale crimson.” All 
of these curious characters agree perfectly with those of 
the collection which has been chosen as the type of the 
description of the flowers of Herrania umbratica. A flow- 
ering specimen from this tree (R. 7. D. Baker sine num.) 
does indeed show these characters so peculiar to Herrania 
umbratica. 
On February 2, 1958, Dr. Francis W. Cope of the 
Anglo-Colombian Cacao Collecting Expedition visited 
Capitancitos and examined the original tree from which 
the type material of Herrania umbratica had been taken. 
I take the liberty of transcribing here Dr. Cope’s very 
full notes made on the living plant: 
Small tree, about 6 metres high, branched into two equal branches 
at about 3 metres from the ground. About 10 cm, at base in diameter. 
Leaves large, predominantly 5-foliate, with very long petiole, averag- 
ing 48 cm. (39-54 cm. range). Petiole approximately cylindrical with 
numerous faint grooves, 8 mm. at base, tapering to 6 mm. at apex. 
Base of petiole swollen. Covered with dense, rusty-coloured stellate 
hairs. Stipules 3.5 em. long, membranaceous, tapering, darkly stellate- 
pilose. Leaflets unequal in size, sessile, papery in texture, long-ovate, 
somewhat unequal, with entire margins, tapering into acuminate tip 
about 3 em. in length. Upper surface dark shining green, with dark 
rusty hairs on midrib and first order veins; smaller nerves with very 
distant stellate hairs. Lower surface a paler green, with very promi- 
nent midrib and first order veins, which are densely covered with pale 
stellate hairs. Lamina with numerous single stellate hairs inserted on 
veinlets. Central leaflet up to 70 em. long by 27 em. broad. 
Flower: Sepals 3, joined to middle (also apparent on young fruits) 
covered with soft stellate hairs, with larger scattered stellate hairs. 
Other parts not examined, but ligule apparently short. 
Fruit: Elongate elliptic, dark shining green when immature, bright 
[ 88 ] 
